In my 3rd grade class last year, we did a unit on Ginger Pye. The students loved the book! Interesti

In my 3rd grade class last year, we did a unit on Ginger Pye. The students loved the book! Interestingly, the book came up missing after we finished. I had an idea of who “borrowed” the book from class, but wasn’t about to make any accusations. I used the incidents from the story and how sad it was when Ginger was stolen to help this child empathize about the class missing the book. It was soon returned and the child who returned it said it was behind the book case. (I had looked behind the book case.) I said, “thank you,” and she became a class hero for a short while. Instead of punishing, I rewarded her in a way for her choice of returning the book.